collared lory
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The collared lory (''Vini solitaria'') is a species of parrot in the family
Psittaculidae Psittaculidae is a family containing Old World parrots. It consists of five subfamilies: Agapornithinae, Loriinae, Platycercinae, Psittacellinae and Psittaculinae. This family has been accepted into ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World' ...
. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the islands of
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. It is the only Fijian
rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
bird to adapt to urban landscapes and can be found in urban
Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
. Measuring , it has bright red underparts and face with a purple crown and greenish upperparts. Males and females are similar in
plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
, although the latter have a paler crown.


Taxonomy

The collared lory was first described by German naturalist Georg Adolf Suckow in 1800, and placed in the genus ''Phigys'' by English naturalist George Robert Gray in 1870. It was moved to the genus '' Vini'' based on a
molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study of the lorikeets published in 2020. The Fijian name is ''kula''. The bird was prized throughout western
Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
for its vibrant plumage and the maritime trading networks based on "kula" feathers existed between Fiji,
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
, and
Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
up until colonial times. Both the bird and its plumage are called "ula" in Samoan and "kula" in Tongan. Alternate common names include Fiji lory, ruffled lory, and solitary lory. The latter is a misnomer; the species is not solitary.


Description

Adult birds are around long and exhibit slight
sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
. The male has bright scarlet cheeks, throat, breast, and upper abdomen. The crown is dark purple. The nape is lime green and red and some of the feathers on the nape are elongated. The wings, back, and tail are greenish. The lower abdomen is purple. The bill is yellow-orange, the feet pink-orange, and the irises are orange-red. The female is similar but with a paler crown that has a greenish hue posteriorly. Juveniles are duller with vague purple transverse striations on the upper abdomen and breast, and they have a brown beak and pale brown irises.Forshaw, p. 80Forshaw (2006). plate 15.


Distribution and habitat

Its natural
habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is subtropical or tropical moist lowland
forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s. It has adapted to human habitation and can be found in
Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
. It occurs on Fiji's larger islands, and on the
Lau Islands The Lau Islands aka little Tonga (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about sixty islands and islets, about thirty a ...
outwards to Lakeba and Oneata. While the species is today restricted to Fiji, fossil evidence shows that it once occurred in
Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
as well, and was extirpated by early human settlers.Steadman D, (2006). ''Extinction and Biogeography in Tropical Pacific Birds'', University of Chicago Press.


Behaviour

The collared lory is a fast and straight flyer with quick shallow wingbeats, and can be found in pairs or small groups. The call is a high pitched single or double shriek.Forshaw, p. 81


Feeding

The diet of the collared lory consists fruit, seeds, nectar and blossoms. Trees favoured include the drala (''
Erythrina variegata ''Erythrina variegata'', commonly known as tiger's claw or Indian coral tree, is a species of '' Erythrina'' native to the tropical and subtropical regions of eastern Africa, the Indian subcontinent, northern Australia, and the islands of the In ...
''), the coconut palm ('' Cocos nucifera'') and the introduced and invasive African tulip tree (''
Spathodea campanulata ''Spathodea'' is a genus in the plant family Bignoniaceae. The single species it contains, ''Spathodea campanulata'', is commonly known as the African tulip tree. The tree grows between tall and is native to tropical dry forests of Africa. It ha ...
'').


Breeding

The nest is a hollow in a tree, or sometimes in a hole in a rotting
coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...
still attached to the tree. The
clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
size is two eggs in
captivity Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...
, the size in the wild is unknown but presumed to be the same. Incubation is around 30 days, and the nestling stage lasts about 9 weeks.


Aviculture

The collared lory was bred and exhibited in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo is a zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful water view'. It ...
s in the early 1940s. The species became tame readily in captivity but early attempts to keep birds alive proved difficult.Low, p. 139-42 This species was first bred in the UK (1941)by the Marquess of Tavistock (later the 12th Duke of Bedford) for which he was awarded a commemorative medal by the Foreign Bird League. Not so many recent zoos have this species, but there are some, including
Weltvogelpark Walsrode Weltvogelpark Walsrode, known as Walsrode Bird Park or Jubs in English until 2010, is a bird park located in the middle of the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany within the municipality of Bomlitz near Walsrode in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. ...
,
ZooParc de Beauval The ZooParc de Beauval (), more commonly called Beauval Zoo or, more simply, Beauval, is a French zoological park located in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire. It features more than 35,000 animals on 40 hectares, which is one of the larges ...
,
Loro Parque Loro Parque (Spanish for "parrot park") or 'Loro Park' is a 135,000 m² (13.5 ha) zoo on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, Spain where it houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. The park was conceived a ...
, San Diego Zoo and
Kula Eco Park Kula WILD Adventure Park is Fiji's biggest Family Fun Park and an ecological preserve in Fiji. It is located on Fiji's largest island, Viti Levu, near Sigatoka. The area was originally established as a bird park in the 1980s, but was bought by '' ...
.


Photographs

File:Collared Lory matei08.ogg, Matei, Taveuni, Fiji Isles File:Phigys solitarius -back -San Diego Zoo-8a-2c.jpg, At San Diego Zoo File:Phigys solitarius -San Diego Zoo -8.jpg, At San Diego Zoo File:Phigys solitarius -San Diego Zoo -9.jpg, At San Diego Zoo File:Phigys solitarius -San Diego Zoo-6.jpg, At San Diego Zoo File:Phigys solitarius -San Diego Zoo -food bowl-8a.jpg, At San Diego Zoo


References


Cited texts

* * *


External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q920157
collared lory The collared lory (''Vini solitaria'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the islands of Fiji. It is the only Fijian rainforest bird to adapt to urban area, urban landscapes and can be found in urban Suva. Measur ...
Endemic birds of Fiji
collared lory The collared lory (''Vini solitaria'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the islands of Fiji. It is the only Fijian rainforest bird to adapt to urban area, urban landscapes and can be found in urban Suva. Measur ...
Articles containing video clips Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN